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Statuette of Beset (Besis)

Late Period–Ptolemaic Period
664–30 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 134
Beset, like her husband Bes, holds a bow-legged stance with hands on thighs and wears a feather crown. She has a less animal-like and less exaggerated face. Here she is nude, although she can be dressed.

Beset is a much older figure, but becomes particularly popular in the Ptolemaic Period. She shares Bes's protective and apotropaic functions.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Statuette of Beset (Besis)
  • Period: Late Period–Ptolemaic Period
  • Date: 664–30 BCE
  • Geography: From Egypt
  • Medium: Cupreous metal
  • Dimensions: H. 14.5 cm (5 11/16 in.); W. 5.3 cm (2 1/16 in.); D. 5 cm (1 15/16 in.)
  • Credit Line: Gift of J. Lionberger Davis, 1966
  • Object Number: 66.123.3
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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